Today's Read Contributor In Educated, Tara Westover offers a gripping and profoundly moving memoir that chronicles her remarkable journey from growing up in a strict, survivalist family in rural Idaho to earning a PhD from the University of Cambridge. Raised in a family that distrusted formal education and adhered to radical beliefs, Westover’s early years were marked by isolation, hardship, and an absence of schooling. With little formal education and a father who rejected societal norms, she was raised with the belief that education was unnecessary and dangerous, leaving her ill-equipped to navigate the outside world. However, Westover’s story is one of remarkable resilience, self-discovery, and the transformative power of education.
Westover’s narrative begins in a remote, insular world where survival was the priority. Her father, a fiercely independent and often delusional figure, maintained a strict and harsh rule over the family, teaching them to distrust anything that went against their belief system. Education, in particular, was seen as a threat to the family’s way of life. Tara and her siblings grew up in a world where medical care, schooling, and even basic safety precautions were viewed with suspicion. With no formal schooling, Westover was essentially left to fend for herself in a world she didn’t fully understand.
As she grows older, however, Westover begins to yearn for more. A pivotal turning point comes when she decides to teach herself enough to pass the ACT and gain admission to Brigham Young University. Her entry into the university world marks the start of her educational journey, but it is far from an easy transition. Westover struggles with the most basic aspects of academic life, often feeling alienated and ill-prepared for the intellectual challenges that her peers take for granted. Yet, through sheer determination and an insatiable thirst for knowledge, she perseveres, eventually completing her education at Cambridge University.
What makes Educated particularly compelling is Westover’s exploration of the complex relationship between family loyalty and the pursuit of personal growth. As she steps into the world of academia, she finds herself torn between the family that raised her and the new world she has embraced. Her journey is as much about intellectual awakening as it is about learning to separate herself from the toxic elements of her upbringing. Throughout the memoir, she wrestles with the tension between honoring her family’s values and forging her own identity—a struggle that resonates deeply with anyone who has ever had to redefine themselves in the face of adversity.
Westover’s memoir is a powerful testament to the strength of the human spirit and the importance of education as a means of empowerment. Her story is both harrowing and inspiring, demonstrating that even in the face of extreme adversity, it is possible to break free and create a new path. Her writing is raw and vulnerable, offering a rare and intimate glimpse into the challenges of growing up in an environment that stifles personal growth and autonomy.
Educated challenges preconceived notions about education, family loyalty, and the drive to seek a better life. It underscores the transformative power of knowledge and the lengths to which one must sometimes go to achieve personal freedom. Westover’s journey from a young girl with no formal education to a scholar at one of the world’s most prestigious universities is a powerful reminder of the life-changing potential of education and the human capacity for resilience. It is an essential read for anyone interested in personal growth, overcoming hardship, and the pursuit of knowledge as a path to self-discovery.
